Just
as important as knowing why we should
read the Bible is knowinghow we should read the Bible.

The
best guides for this are the holy Fathers, headed by St. John Chrysostom who,
in a manner of speaking, has written a fifth Gospel.

The
holy Fathers recommend serious preparation before reading and studying the
Bible; but of what does this preparation consist?

First of all in prayer. Pray to the Lord to illumine your
mind — so that you may understand the words of the Bible — and to fill your
heart with His grace — so that you may feel the truth and life of those words.

Be
aware that these are God’s words, which He is speaking and saying to you
personally. Prayer, together with the other virtues found in the Gospel, is the
best preparation a person can have for understanding the Bible.